Taste: A whole lot of flavor, all good, chocolate with oaky vanilla, coffee flavor at the finish. All of this is extremely well balanced, the barrel doesn't dominate the beer, it just pulls it all together.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth and creamy yet clean on the palate.

Overall: An incredible surprise one of the best tasting BA stouts I've tried. This "shelf-beer" rivals KBS for it's flavor. Can't wait to get some more!

More User Reviews:

Appearance: Pours nearly pitch-black with a khaki tan head. Based on other reviews, I expected the head to dissipate quickly, but it's lingering a bit longer than expected.

Smell: Smells of caramel, chocolate, vanilla and - obviously - bourbon flow out of this one. A little sweeter smelling than the BCBS i recently reviewed. If this tastes anywhere near as good as it smells... I'm in for a good time!

Taste: Hmm. Pretty freaking good. A little boozier than the BCBS, a little more in-your-face with the flavors. Definite vanilla and chocolate aspects poke through. Not as complex as the BCBS, but the flavors still play very well with one another.

Mouthfeel: Definitely a warming, almost hot, mouthfeel. That said, it's quite... soft and smooth at the same time. Doesn't linger too strongly in the mouth.

Overall: Very delicious. Very drinkable. I'm gonna stash at least 2 of the bottles in my cellar and see what happens as it ages. Very excited to see where this goes - got another bottle of BCBS stashed alongside this, so I can do a direct comparison.

A: Not very dark for a barrel aged imperial stout, lots of ruby on the edges, pretty clear when being poured into the glass, nice creamy tan head that faded, got some lacing.

A: Big bourbon upfront, very big, after this a strange drop on the aroma. Didn't' get much else. Some coffee roasted notes, not much alcohol.

T: Big bourbon, some coffee roasted bitterness, some alcohol burn on the end, but the bourbon seems unbalanced with the other flavors.

M: Medium mouthfeel, lots of carbonation, not alcohol burn.

O: Starts out really big, lots of bourbon, some stout aromas and flavors but the beer kind of drops off at the end, doesn't blend well. I think they need to bump up the ABV, maybe that will help balance the beer with the bourbon, but not bad at all, would definitely purchase, seems a little raw compared to other BA imperial stouts, but really good, definitely worth a try and I would put this in top 10 of my own personal BA stouts.

Vintage 2014: Pours pitch black opaque color with a thick foamy 2-3 finger dark tan head that faded slowly, had a ton of bubbles in it and left great spider web foamy lacing coating the sides.

Smells of bourbon up front, with deep woody oak notes, cocoa powder, burnt malt, charred wood, dark chocolate, roasted grains, molasses, some light vanilla and a boozy sweetness. The wood and barrel accents are very influential and earthy and mix well with the chocolate and booze sweetness. This is very complex but minimal in that the main characteristics are the entire aroma with variations of the nose slightly changing with each whiff.

Taste is delicious, with a lovely combo much like the nose with dark chocolate, roasted grains, molasses, deep woody oak notes, bourbon, cocoa powder, toffee, burnt malt, charred wood, vanilla, a boozy sweetness and chocolate milk or chocolate syrup which makes it smooth like a milk stout and not an imperial bourbon barrel aged bad boy. Super smooth and very similar to Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout in many ways, but not as strong with less heat and more oaky notes. The wood almost tastes like cedar chips, and the booze is evident but not hot or abrasive – damn good stuff.

Mouthfeel is very smooth, creamy or velvety depending on the sip, with a medium to heavy chewy viscous body and feel that leads to a sweet bourbon infused aftertaste that has a slight bitterness and traces of coffee grinds. As stated above it’s very similar to Goose Island BCBS, but like it’s younger brother that may not have the bad ass reputation but is better looking; this brew is not as strong as BCBS and has more oaky and earthy/peat moss notes, but it’s an outstanding imperial stout in its own right and one I will seek out as well as highly recommend.

It pours a nearly pitch black with a decent sized tan head. Retention is medium with minimal lacing.

The nose is just great. It's rich, sweet with a heavy bourbon presence without a heavy alcohol aroma. On the end a nice subdued coffee roast is there.

The flavor kind of falls off from there, an alcohol presence is there the entire sip which is very distracting. The roast goes away and there is an increased vanilla flavor.

The spirits thin out the body too much for my liking in an imperial stout. The carbonation level is nice though, a bit lively in order to take away from the bourbon. Drinkability is decent but the alcohol flavor really doesn't meld well with the rest of the beer.

12oz bottle with new brown barrel label. Pours into my glass a deep, dark black with a quarter inch of somewhat fizzy tan head on top. It lingers for a bit and falls to a ring. Aromas begin with rich, dark roasted malts and a dark fruit undertone. Notes of chocolate and coffee are quickly met by a wonderful bourbon with vanilla tones as well. Caramel is in there as well.

First sip brings roasted malt upfront that follows with notes of dark fruit, chocolate, caramel and a touch of coffee as well. Big bourbon and oak tones stand out along with a vanilla undertone that is quite nice. It finishes off with just a touch of bitterness and a lingering bourbon flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice creaminess and plenty of carbonation. Not as heavy and viscous as many barrel aged stouts I've sampled, but quite nice nonetheless and it makes it easier to imbibe. Overall, a tasty bourbon stout from Central Waters. It's well worth checking out if you're into bourbon barrel aged stouts. I'm glad I still have another bottle.

Pours pitch black, with a tan head on top. Came up an inch and receeded to a dense foam layer that coats the glass in a solid sheet. Definately a good start.

Lots of bourbon in this, definately the predominant aroma along with a milk chocolate aroma. Actually pretty simple overall, lots of bourbon and alcohol.

Whew! There is a good bit going on in this. Solid dark toasted malts form a good basis for this. Dark chocolate and some toffee play into this well. This transitions into a good dose of bourbon right before the swallow and then comes back right after that. Then there is a good finish of slightly charred malts with a touch of bitterness that lingers. Alcohol is evident but plays in well.

Good mouthfeel overall. Fairly full, oily and slick on the tongue. Flavor lingers for just a bit. Low carbonation as would be expected.

Good drinkability. This one is a true sipper and really warms the stomach. Hard to have much more in a night but something I'll come back to, especially if the weather ever gets colder.